BARNEY 1994-2010
"Jellicle Cats are black and white...... Jellicle Cats are not too big.....
Jellicle Cats are merry and bright....They know how to dance a gavotte and a jig"
TSE
THE BALLAD OF BARNEY BUTTERFIELD (Or how life can change from one Christmas to the next)
Up and down the lane, my lads The Jellicle cat did roam in and out of the cat flaps A'searching for a home
A'searching for a home, my lads, And a place to lay his head For food and love and a family With a warm and comfy bed
Down and out, out and down Inside he's scared to bits So he's putting on the Swagger A'living on his wits
He tried his luck at Wheelwrights Where the Siamese held the fort And roughing up a Jellicle Was their idea of sport
He tried his luck at Pheasant Hill He pleaded "gimme a break" But Ling Who yowled and Susie cried "We're too old for goodness sake"
He barged right in to Bulrush Farm How brave could a small cat be? For a Big Dog lived at Bulrush And a fearsome sight was he
The resident cats all yelled "get out" They made a fantastical fuss "You're a rough and tough and dirty cat You are not One of Us"
So he's up and off with a gung-ho gait To try and try again
The days were long, the nights were cruel And he sang a sad refrain
He sang the saddest songs, my lads, And like the wind made moan He doesn't know life Christmas The Cat Who Was All Alone
Then a Jellicle Bed appeared one day In the Barn at Bulrush Farm And lovely grub at Pheasant Hill To keep the cat from harm
But it was not good enough, my lads, I know it for a fact He barged right in to try again His was a classy act
So what's the end of this, you say, As if you need to ask But I'll be chuffed to tell you It's a Jellicle sort of task
He's an Indoor Cat at Bulrush Farm With BARNEY his given name He wines and dines at Pheasant Hill A'basking in his fame
Young Barney's coat is gleaming black His socks are Persil white He hums a happy tune all day And cuts a caper each night
He's a Jellicle Cat with a jaunty air Whom everyone loves to bits He's a Jellicle nonpareil, my lads, Now he's Putting on The Ritz!
Jane Ward c 2001 after TS Elliott
posted by The Butterfield Family at 6:03 AM
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